The sources said the talks in Washington and Taipei’s separate lobby with EU envoys were both at an early stage – a response to fears of a Chinese invasion that have grown as military tensions escalate across the Taiwan Strait. In both cases, the idea is to impose sanctions on top of measures already taken in the West to limit trade and investment with China in sensitive technologies such as computer chips and telecommunications equipment. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up The sources did not provide details on what is being considered, but the concept of sanctions on the world’s second-largest economy and one of the largest links in the global supply chain raises questions of feasibility. “Potentially imposing sanctions on China is a much more complicated exercise than sanctions on Russia, given the extensive involvement of the US and its allies in the Chinese economy,” said Nazak Nikakhtar, a former senior US Commerce Department official. China’s commercial influence China claims Taiwan as its own territory and last month fired missiles over the island and sent warships across its unofficial sea border after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in what Beijing called considered as a challenge. read more Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to bring democratically-ruled Taiwan under Beijing’s control and has not ruled out the use of force. He is set to secure a third, five-year leadership term at a Communist Party congress next month. Taiwan’s government strongly rejects China’s claims of sovereignty. Responding to news of the sanctions package, a Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing warned against underestimating China. “I want to emphasize that no country or person should underestimate the strong determination and firm will of the Chinese government and people to defend national sovereignty, territorial integrity and realize the reunification of the motherland,” said spokesman Mao Ning. Wednesday. Officials in Washington are considering options for a possible package of sanctions against China to prevent Xi from attempting to invade Taiwan, a US official and a country official in close coordination with Washington said. The US sanctions talks began after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, but took on new urgency after the Chinese reaction to Pelosi’s visit, the two sources said. The United States, backed by NATO allies, took a similar approach to Russia in January by threatening unspecified sanctions, but that failed to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from launching his invasion of Ukraine. The White House is focused on getting countries on the same page, including coordination between Europe and Asia, and avoiding provoking Beijing, the non-US official said. Reuters was unable to learn details about the specific sanctions being considered, but some analysts suggested China’s military could be the focus. “The big picture, the initial sanctions talks will likely revolve around limiting China’s access to certain technologies needed to sustain a military operation against Taiwan,” said Craig Singleton at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The White House declined to comment. Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it had discussed China’s recent war games and the “major challenges” China poses for Taiwan and the region with the United States, Europe and other like-minded partners, but could not disclose details.
TAIWAN IN EUROPE
Taiwan had already been on sanctions with European officials after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but China’s recent military exercises have led to a hardening of Taiwan’s position, six sources briefed on the Taiwan-Europe talks told Reuters. Calls by top Taiwanese officials to prepare for sanctions have intensified in recent weeks. A recent Chinese white paper, which withdrew a pledge not to send troops or administrative officials to Taiwan if Beijing took control of the island, led to a redoubled effort with Europe. read more Taiwan did not ask for anything specific, only for Europe to plan what actions it might take if China attacked, said a source briefed on the discussions, and asked Europe to privately warn China that it would face consequences. EU officials have so far avoided imposing tough sanctions on China over human rights issues, as the country plays a much bigger role for the bloc’s economy than Russia, another person familiar with the matter said. European sanctions would require all 27 member states to agree, which is often elusive. Consensus was tough even on Russia’s isolation after its invasion of Ukraine, in part because its gas was critical to Germany. All of Europe, excluding the Vatican, has formal diplomatic relations with Beijing but not Taipei, although Taiwanese and European officials have had extensive private contact since China’s military exercises began, the sources said. Germany, the bloc’s economic engine, is “cautious,” according to another official familiar with the discussion. “I don’t think Russia-Ukraine has fundamentally changed the way they see their relationship with China.” But there is growing concern in the German government about its economic dependence on China, with the economy minister pledging a new trade policy and “no more naivety” on Tuesday. read more A spokesman for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declined to comment. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee in Taipei, John O’Donnell in Frankfurt and Alexandra Alper and Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington. Additional reporting by Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom in Washington. Edited by Rosalba O’Brien and Clarence Fernandez Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
